Citizens decide: grants and commissioning budgets in Southampton

Southampton City Council has established a People’s Panel, made up of residents who are interested in taking part in consultations and other opportunities to express their views on council services, health services and living in the city.

On Saturday 4th July 2015 the Southern Policy Centre ran a deliberative polling session with some members of the People’s Panel to pilot this different way of engaging people in exploring specific issues.

Southampton City Council, like most local authorities, faces major challenges in deciding how to spend its money wisely in a time of budget constraints. Decisions about the balance of prevention, universal services and priorities for the city’s future are all contentious. There are no easy answers.

The polling session, brought together policy experts with local citizens to discuss four key proposals that epitomise these difficult choices.

Below is a summary of the proposals discussed and the outcomes of the audience deliberation, but you can read the full report here including data on audience attitude and an explanation of the deliberative process.